vance_the_cubs_fan

Watch this move. Tomorrow we sign Kline and send Piggy to Iowa.

And Howry is going to come in next....oooh boy.

Jesus Christ! This isn't a good thing.

This isn't looking promising.

They were screwed up for me as well.

http://www.fangraphs.com/lgraphs/280407123_Cubs_Pirates_58981746_lbig.png

cash (ie we signed him) Oh. I thought we traded for him. How much is he making, then? not for sure, but I think 2.5 mill Nope. Only 1.3 million.

Ok, on the replay it was clear that the feet got there just ahead of the tag.

Wow....I thought he was pegged there.

Damn, Lee is hot!

Reed Johnson is looking to be a solid signing.

A 1, 2, 3 inning would be nice here.

Thank goodness!

Jesus Christ!

Crap! Crap! Crap!Crap!

Cedeno just hit my front door with that throw.

Good idea. Not much, just the Cubs kicking some Pirate booty Sounds good. Actually, I ended up with a good excuse to leave campus and just didn't return.

Decided to skip faculty meeting today. What up guys?

Let's just hope by the ninth, we're up by seven and it isn't a save situation.

My tickets for my May games have arrived but none for anything after that.

I'll probably bump this from time to time this season... but it looks like next weekend I'm going to see Mississippi Braves vs. Mobile Bay Bears. Who on those teams are intriguing prospects? I know about Jordan Schafer for the M-Braves, but who else is supposed to be good on those teams?

I hope Lilly doesn't suck tomorrow. I might have to miss watching this game. The early start combined with a facutly meeting might spell trouble for me.

Lots of surprises after the first week. St. Louis at 5-1; Baltimore at 4-1; Kansas City at 4-2; and Detroit at 0-5. The Reds at 4-2 is also a bit surprising. I'm eager to see what the second week will bring.

Derek Lee said Memphis, so I'm going to go with Memphis.

I just think Pie is overhyped. He probably will become a great fielder dont get me wrong. I just think that he isnt even to the level you guys say he is so far with his reads. The thing is though before he was rated as a 5-tool player. I'm sorry, but I dont think I could ever see him ever getting any pop. He could become a decent slap hitter, like a Luis Castillo type hitter. That would be nice if he tried to do that...Ha I know ill probably get ripped for this, but thats just my take on it! Sorry! I just think you're wrong on many, many accounts. First of all, Pie is only 23 years old. Part of the reason he's been hyped so much is that he's been in the system since he was 17. Pie put 314/375/558 in the low minors at the age most kids are still playing for their high school teams. His minor league numbers indicate that he will be able to hit. I don't know what you are watching, but his defense already makes him one of the top CF in baseball. He has incredible quickness and a good arm. His reads are not always the best, but with his athletic skills, he can make up most of the difference. While he may not develop into a homerun hitter, I think he will demonstrate acceptable power from CF. He already has more power than Kenny Lofton. Pie will take some time to develop. He's going to have to take his lumps at some point this year, but when it's all said and done, Pie will bring more value offensively and defensively than the grizzled Lofton would bring. If we could bring Kenny Lofton circa 1997 here, then I'd buy your point. But, I think Pie is the better player not only for this year, but because of what he'll bring in the future as well. I'm not saying that he wont, but his swing just looks horrible. I think lofton even against lefties would be more reliable if we picked him up. I'm not saying he will stay healthy, but healthy he is a more consistent and better chance for us getting someone on base thats all Lofton is the safer bet with the bat. But his drop in defense is quite significant. If he were playing in 2008, PECOTA projects Lofton to be a WARP 2.5 player. Pie is projected to be a 3.8 WARP. Pie's defense combined with Lofton's age make Pie the better bet. We're not talking Lofton at 31 or even Lofton at 36. Lofton is 41 years old. His arm is Pierre like at this stage. He's lost a step or two which makes him a stretch in CF. He can still handle it, but he's not the defender he once was. Pie's value on defense makes him the better bet, and considering that Pie's ceiling is much higher than you can expect to get from Lofton, it's just not a good move. While some may argue that Lofton's floor may not be as low as Pie, I'd argue that due to Lofton's age, you just can't be certain of that. Lofton has been a solid player his entire career, and if we didn't have a capable CF, he would be worth a look. But considering we have a prospect in Pie who has put up the minor league numbers that he has, it doesn't make sense to even think about Lofton. Furthermore, Pie begins the season at 23. Last season at age 22, Pie posted a pitiful 215/271/333 line in 87 games for a OPS+ of 53. Yes, I know it's bad and it's why many have been harsh on him and his prospects of making it. However at age 24 Lofton broke into the major leagues. He only played in 20 games and posted an even worse 203/253/216 line for an even worse OPS+ of 38. The next season, he rebounded to post a 285/362/365 line. It's very possible that the two players will show similar careers. They're minor league numbers are similar with Lofton showing higher OBP and Pie showing more SLG. Lofton was older at each level, however. What it boils down to is that both are similar players at different ends of the career spectrum. Lofton has proven himself and made a nice career. He is at the end of it or at the very least, the twiglight. Pie is at the dawn of his. Considering what I know about both players, I think the Cubs would be wise to go with Pie.